Socialist Appeal
The British section of the International Marxist Tendency
We publish here the third part in a series by Alan Woods looking at the theoretical differences between Marxism and anarchism. In this part, Alan discusses the role of the state within class society and examines the historical limitations of anarchism and spontaneity, as shown by the Spanish Revolution and Egyptian Revolution respectively.
We continue here Alan Woods' series looking at the theoretical differences between Marxism and anarchism. In this second part, Alan examines the role of leadership, the relationship between Marxists and the mass organisations, the origins of bureaucracy, and how political consciousness develops and changes.
We publish here a series by Alan Woods looking at the theoretical differences between Marxism and anarchism. In this first part, Alan explores the vital questions of "spontaneity vs organisation" and "reform or revolution", looking at the role of the revolutionary party and its relationship to the end goal of a communist society.
Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, has, after numerous trials for countless crimes, finally been convicted. This wealthy politicians and businessman has protested about being the victim of a politicised judiciary. Such an accusation raises an important question: is the judiciary under capitalism "political"? Ben Gliniecki looks at the role of judges and the law in capitalist society.
In 1949, Ted Grant, founder of the Militant Tendency and Socialist Appeal, wrote a polemical response to Tony Cliff on the class nature of the Soviet Union, arguing against Cliff's theory of "State Capitalism". Ted's response provides an in-depth Marxist analysis on a range of questions, from the transition from capitalism to socialism, to the key issues of the state and the nature of Stalinism. For more on this topic, visit our Marxist Summer School, where Jorge Martin will be speaking on these questions.